Door construction

ABSTRACT

A structure for doors of the type used in house trailers, recreational vehicles, boats and the like, where a concave camber is formed in the door to insure an adequate weather seal between the unhinged edges of the door and the door frame. The door includes one or more integral relatively rigid members preshaped to impart the desired camber. The relatively rigid members have resilient properties sufficient to assure a good weather seal between the door and the door frame.

O United States Patent 11 1 3,778,934 Fisher Dec. 18, 1973 DOOR CONSTRUCTION [76] Inventor: Frank G. Fisher, 2709 Whipple $1.,

Elkhart Ind 46514 Attorney-Olsen & Stephenson 22 Fil d: Au 28 1972 1 e 57 ABSTRACT 2 1] App] No 284 A structure for doors of the type used in house trailers, recreational vehicles, boats and the like, where a U-S. Cl. concave camber is formed in the door to insure an adlnt. equate weather seal between the nhinged edges of Field Of Search /5 52/291 the door and the door frame. The door includes one or more integral relatively rigid members preshaped to i [56] References Cited impart the desired camber. The relatively rigid mem- UNITED STATES PATENTS bers have resilient properties sufficient to assure a 1,769,424 7/1930 Ellison 52/291 x good weather Seal between the door and the door 2,433,272 12 1947 Greiling ..'52/291 frame. 2,787,030 4/1957 Williams 52/291 x 3,049,202 8/1962 Sailor et al 49/34 X 3 Clams 5 Drawing Flgures /f AZ noon CONSTRUCTION BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to improvements in the construction of doors, and particularly to doors that are suitable for use in house trailers, travel vehicles, cabin cruisers or the like.

As taught in US. letters Pat. No. 3,049,202, an effective weather seal is provided between a door construction with a recessed edge and its associated frame when the door construction is cambered, concave to the inner side. With this shape the spring action of the door urges the lip portion of the recessed edge tightly against the door frame when the door is closed and latched in the keeper.

In recent years one of the conventional arrangements for forming this camber has been by the use of an adjustable tension element described in US. letters Pat. No. 3,049,202. This arrangement has proved to be very reliable over the years, but a need has existed for a lower cost door construction for accomplishing the same purpose under less demanding conditions. It is not always essential that a tension element be provided which is adjustable, and in those instances a lower cost construction may be used. Accordingly, there is a need for a non-adjustable construction that can be produced at lower cost and which will provide a suitable camber in the door.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has met the needs of the industry for a lower cost door construction and provides an economical and simplified door construction which functions to provide an effective weather seal between the door construction and its frame.

According to one form of the present invention, a door construction is provided which has front and rear sheet metal panels, the central portions of which are in spaced relation and whose edges are joined to form a longitudinal edge for a hinged connection to the door frame, and three non-hinged edges which are formed to provide a recess which fits into the door frame and a lip portion which extends beyond and cooperates with the door frame to provide the weatherproof seal.

The door construction is cambered, concave to the inner surface, so that as the door is closed and latched, the spring properties provided by this shape urge the lip portion tightly against the door frame creating a continuous weatherproof seal. The camber is set in the door construction by one or more preformed relatively rigid members. That portion of the rigid member which holds the concave shape of the door construction is a metal brace, from which wood beams extend creating a door length structural member. Thus, this invention provides a simplified and improved door construction which is characterized by its low cost and which maintains the structural strength and the desired shape to assure an effective weather seal.

It is one of the objects of this invention to provide an eceonomical door construction for use in applications such as house trailers, recreational vehicles, cabin cruisers, and the like. It is a further object to provide a simplified door construction for use in such applications where a camber, concave to the inner side and a lip portion extending over the door frame is necessary for an effective weather seal, which employs one or more preformed, cambered rigid members, to create the desired shape.

Other objects of this invention will appear in the following description and appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts in the several views.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a front elevation of a door construction embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of a door construction embodying the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a side elevation of the relatively rigid member of the present invention, shown apart from the remainder of the door construction;

FIG. 4 is a front elevation of the rigid member shown in FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken on the lines 55 of FIG. ll, showing details of the nonhinged longitudinal edge of the door construction,

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Before explaining the present-invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings, since the invention is capable'of other embodiments and of being carried out or practiced in various ways. Also, it is'to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation.

Referring now to the drawings, the illustrated embodiment of the invention will be described in detail. The door construction 10 has a front sheet metal panel 12 and a rear sheet metal panel 14 which are in spaced relation in their central portions and which are joined at their edges to define a first or one flat longitudinal edge 16 for hinged connection to a door frame (not shown) and three non-hinged edges, comprising a top edge 18, a bottom edge 20, and a second or non-hinged longitudinal edge 22. At the non-hinged edges 18, 20 and 22 the front panel 12 and the back panel 14 are joined and fastened together to form a continuous marginal recess 24 for fitting into the door frame (not shown) and forming a lip 26 which is adapted to create a weatherproof seal with the door frame (not shown).

The internal structure of the door construction 10 includes corrugated insulating material 28, which fills void space between the front and rear sheet metal pan els l2 and 14, and a means or relatively rigid member 30 to maintain a preselected camber concave to the inner side in the second or non-hinged longitudinal edge 22. The means 30 comprises a channel portion 32 formed from a suitable sheet metal such as steel which has rigid but resilient properties.

The channel portion 32 has been preformed initially so that it has a desired camber in a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis of its base 33, and two wooden support portions 34 fit snugly into opposite ends of the channel portion 32 so that a relatively rigid, but resilient bow-like member is provided. Appropriate slots and holes 36 are also provided in channel portion 32 to accommodate a conventional door latch mechanism.

The door construction 10 is assembled by securing together the front and rear sheet metal panels 12 and 14 around the camber means 30 and the insulating material 28 (and such additional braces, not shown, as may be desired). in the assembled position the means 30 is positioned adjacent to the second longitudinal edge 22, and the channel and wooden portions 32 and 34 are contiguous to the inner surfaces of the front and rear panels 12 and 14.

When the door construction is mounted by its hinged edge 16 to a door frame (not shown) the closing of the door construction 10 will urge the means 30 toward a more straight position thereby placing it in stress so that it will function to maintain a tight seal between the lip 26 and the frame (not shown). Thus, with the insertion of the means 30, including the bent sheet metal channel portion 32, the door construction 10 is bent or cambered so that thereafter the top and bottom of the door will contact the door jamb first when closing the door, thereby providing a weather tight seal when the latch is secured in place as the door is sprung into a straight position by the closing action.

it is claimed:

1. A door construction having front and rear sheet metal panels that are in spaced relation in their central portions and are joined at their corresponding edges to define a first longitudinal edge for hinged connection to a door frame and a top edge, a bottom edge and a second longitudinal edge which are shaped to form a continuous marginal recess for fitting into a door frame, said door construction comprising means to maintain a preselected camber concave to the inner side in said second longitudinal edge of the door, said means being a relatively rigid resilient member comprising a metallic channel portion cambered to said preselected shape and wooden support portions extending from the ends of said channel portion to said top and said bottom edges of said door, said channel and wooden portions being contiguous to the inner surfaces of said front and rear sheet metal panels, said resilient member being mounted between said front and rear sheet metal panels and positioned adjacent to said second longitudinal edge.

2. The rigid member that is defined in claim 1, wherein the metallic channel portion is U-shaped in cross-section with the base of the channel portion facing said marginal recess.

3. The rigid member that is defined in claim 1, wherein said base contains apertures to accommodate a door latch assembly. 

1. A door construction having front and rear sheet metal panels that are in spaced relation in their central portions and are joined at their corresponding edges to define a first longitudinal edge for hinged connection to a door frame and a top edge, a bottom edge and a second longitudinal edge which are shaped to form a continuous marginal recess for fitting into a door frame, said door construction comprising means to maintain a preselected camber concave to the inner side in said second longitudinal edge of the door, said means being a relatively rigid resilient member comprising a metallic channel portion cambered to said preselected shape and wooden support portions extending from the ends of said channel portion to said top and said bottom edges of said door, said channel and wooden portions being contiguous to the inner surfaces of said front and rear sheet metal panels, said resilient member being mounted between said front and rear sheet metal panels and positioned adjacent to said second longitudinal edge.
 2. The rigid member that is defined in claim 1, wherein the metallic channel portion is U-shaped in cross-section with the base of the channel portion facing said marginal recess.
 3. The rigid member that is defined in claim 1, wherein said base contains apertures to accommodate a door latch assembly. 